State police investigating report of noose at American Dream construction site

Lincoln Palsgrove IV, Vice President of Communications at American Dream & Triple Five, gives a tour at at the construction site of the American Dream project in East Rutherford on 08/28/18.
Mitsu Yasukawa/Northjersey.com, North Jersey Record

State police are investigating a report that a noose was found this week at the American Dream construction site.

Gov. Phil Murphy was asked about the discovery at a Friday press conference in Paterson on historic preservation tax credits.

Murphy said state police were investigating, and he didn't have any other information about the incident.

TO ALL RACISTS.. THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!this noose was found at a construction site in New Jersey. The American Dream Meadowlands (ADM) retail and entertainment complex under construction in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford. pic.twitter.com/G4TmGdLWme

"If it turns out to be true, it's despicable and completely and utterly unacceptable," Murphy said. "Hate crime has no place in this state, in this country. And if that is the case, I am sure that law enforcement, beginning with the attorney general, will pursue this to the fullest extent of the law."

A New Jersey State Police spokesman confirmed the noose was found Tuesday but was unable to provide additional information.

Junius Carter, president of the Bergen County Chapter of the NAACP, said that "obviously hate has no place in America" and the people responsible should be punished.

"The noose has always represented a lot of hurt to African-Americans," Carter said. He pointed to the lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi in the 1950s as one of the moments in history that cemented a noose as a symbol of racism.

Carter said that people who are now in their 80s and remember living through those times could be extra sensitive to such incidents.

"This is especially hurtful to them and brings back old memories," he said.

A statement issued by an American Dream spokesman said the "community has a zero-tolerance policy toward any acts or actions that could be perceived as threatening or harassing."

"We are fully dedicated to ensuring a tolerant, safe and inclusive environment for our workforce," the statement read. "We are cooperating with law enforcement on an active investigation."